Summer Wind

AMG Review of Summer Wind

Joe Viglione
All Music Guide

Wayne Newton's Summer Wind album has more pop cachet than many fans of '60s music might want to admit and is a marvelous and fun study for those willing to abandon the notion of his glitzy Las Vegas leanings. Produced by the Trinity Music publishing company, owned by his mentor, Bobby Darin, this fine-sounding album was engineered by eventual MOR production king Brooks Arthur. It was Darin who brought the young singer "Danke Schoen," his breakthrough hit from 1963, and just listen to the opening arrangement to "Summer Wind" -- the melodies to the titles of both songs are as similar as "Moon River" is to "Goldfinger." You could very well mistake this "Summer Wind" for "Danke Schoen" until the vocals kick in. The bid for a follow-up to his 1965 hit "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" didn't quite do it, but this short and sweet album, 11 songs coming in at 20 minutes and 21 seconds, has lots to offer despite the fact it all could have fit on one side of a disc. The Henry Mayer/Johnny Mercer tune "Summer Wind" of course went Top 25 for Frank Sinatra in September of 1966, number one adult contemporary, with pianist Roger Williams also utilizing it as a title track for an LP of his own. It's a perfect vehicle for Newton, as are the other familiar standouts, Nat King Cole's Top Ten nugget from 1963, "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer," and the Dean Martin number one hit from July of 1964 that became his signature tune, "Everybody Loves Somebody." The production by T.M. Music is so solid it has to be commended again, great stereo separation and comfortable arrangements creating a pleasant atmosphere for the singer's distinctive voice. Three tunes come from the minds of "Under the Boardwalk" songwriters Ken Young and Artie Resnick and work well in this context while country film actor/singer Stuart Hamblen's "Remember Me, I'm the One Who Loves You" also gets a nice treatment. Newton's voice is so high it has much in common with one of his contemporaries, pop/adult contemporary singer Chris Montez. Montez didn't get as famous as Newton, though he maintained a coolness that eluded Wayne, despite Newton's appearance in a James Bond flick. Summer Wind, however, is cool, and the secret is that the singer doesn't take on Nat King Cole or Dean Martin. He just embraces their material and acts as if he owns it. A surprisingly strong and very well-constructed musical experience definitely worth your time.